Tom Cruise will receive a new special honor, the Distinguished Career Achievement in Performing Arts Award, from the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA). The WB's telecast of this prestigious award show will take place on Monday, January 10 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET).

"We are thrilled to present the inaugural Distinguished Career Achievement award to Tom Cruise," says BFCA president Joey Berlin. "He is an actor who has made and who continues to make extraordinary and unforgettable contributions to the art and history of motion pictures. The award recognizes a true icon of cinema. When his name is on the marquee it means something very special to critics and audiences alike."

Cruise is a three-time Academy Award nominee whose films have earned in excess of four billion dollars worldwide. He is also an international advocate, activist and philanthropist in the fields of health and education. He most recently starred in the hit suspense thriller "Collateral" and is currently shooting "War of the Worlds" under the direction of Steven Spielberg. He will soon begin filming the third installment of his internationally successful "Mission: Impossible" franchise.

This special award acknowledges his outstanding body of work, which has also included such diverse films as "Risky Business," "Top Gun," "The Color of Money," "Rain Man," "Born on the Fourth of July," "A Few Good Men," "Jerry Maguire," "Magnolia," "Eyes Wide Shut," "Far and Away," "The Firm," "Interview with the Vampire," "Vanilla Sky," "Minority Report" and "The Last Samurai."

The BFCA is the largest and most prominent film critics organization, including almost 200 television, radio and Internet critics. Nominations for the 10th annual Critics' Choice Awards will be announced on Wednesday, December 15th and the show will broadcast live from the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, January 10th by The WB Television Network, produced by Bob Bain Productions.

The WB is a sharply focused broadcast network targeted to 12-34 year olds, a highly desired demographic for advertisers. The network has achieved great success reaching this group through the consistent development and marketing of quality scripted series currently on its schedule including "7th Heaven," "Smallville," "Gilmore Girls," "Charmed," "Everwood," "One Tree Hill" and "Reba." Launched in January 1995, The WB Television Network broadcasts 29 weekly hours of programming on over 200 affiliated stations covering more than 92% of the country.